Service energizes supporters ahead of Moral March

As the soloist belted a soulful rendition of Great is Thy Faithfulness, attendees of the 11th annual HKonJ Mass Meeting & Worship Service rose to their feet, impassioned for Saturday's Moral March. The event was hosted by the NC NAACP and was held at Rush Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Raleigh.

"There comes a time my friends when it's not enough for you to do a Facebook post saying 'are you with me,' " said the Rev. Dr. Traci DeVon Blackmon shouted from the pulpit. "There comes a time when a tweet is not enough."

Prior to Blackmon, NC NAACP Director, the Rev. Dr. William Barber took to the pulpit to energize supporters.

A flier distributed during the event bills the Moral March as a stand against what organizers believe is constitutional tyranny. Members of the LGBTQ community, along with believers of different faiths, and various nationalities were all invited to worship Friday, committed toward one common goal.

"When they come for one us, they come for all of us," said Blackmon - referencing rhetoric from the Trump Administration that garnered headlines on the campaign trail and since President Donald Trump took office.

Lisa Sharon Harper was also a keynote speaker for Friday's worship service. She believes the march isn't directly related to the election results specifically, but, "It revealed a twisting of our faith. A desecration of our faith."

"It shows that people really care," said Corey Felton, referencing the evening's attendees. "Some people kind of turn off their TVs to turn off what's going in the world because they're upset, they can't believe it. It's like a bad dream."Supporter Robin Kitson, she feels these marches are in everyone's best interest.

"I'm really, really tired of people arguing with each other," Kitson exclaimed. "I really think that when we get together as Americans, we can do anything. But as long as we're arguing, we ain't gonna get nowhere (sic)."

North Carolina Republicans responded by saying the protest is one that isn't representative of most North Carolina citizens.

"The agenda supported by this march is a march towards bigger and more expansive government, higher taxes and fewer jobs in North Carolina," said Dallas Woodhouse, NCGOP Executive Director. "It is an agenda soundly defeated in four consecutive statewide elections, and does not represent the agenda of most North Carolinians."

Saturday's Moral March will begin with a staging area at South and Wilmington Streets near Shaw University at 8:30am. The march will officially start at 10 a.m. and end at the State Capitol.